Apalachee High School Puts Students First in the Wake of Tragedy

J. Barrett Bowen III, Staff Writer • January 31, 2025

The pictured weapons detection system is intended to add another layer of security to protect students at Apalachee High School.

On Jan. 8, a student brought a gun to Apalachee High School. There were no threats made, no shots fired and no physical damage, but it ripped the band aid off a bullet wound that was just beginning to heal. $700,000 was approved at an emergency board meeting for weapons detection devices for all three high schools in Barrow County, including Apalachee.

That wound being the Sept. 4 active shooter tragedy. Colt Gray allegedly shot 13 people, four of whom died after bringing a gun to school that his father bought for him.

Jessica Rehberg, in only her second year as the principal of Apalachee High School, has had more on her plate as principal than most, much less one who has never held the job before. She was a teacher at Apalachee for 11 years before getting a job as an Assistant Principal in Jackson County. Her expectations for this school year were very different than how they have turned out.

“I was excited to come back to Apalachee because I knew the community really well,” Rehberg said. “It’s the only place I had actually taught.”

Rehberg has not allowed the situation to make her doubt herself. She feels she was adequately prepared for the job of Apalachee’s principal.

“I don’t think there’s any principal prepared for a school shooting… every situation is so different. I’ve learned a lot talking to other principals of school shootings across the country and each of our scenarios is different.” – Jessica Rehberg, Apalachee High School Principal

Now that weapons detection devices are on campus, Rehberg said that students and teachers can have peace of mind knowing there is security that every entrant in the school must walk through.

According to Rehberg, a big help in the emotional recovery of the school has come from the students. There has been an emergence of leadership by the students, even the creation of a student led recovery group. They meet with Principal Rehberg every few weeks and discuss things they would like to see done or that their fellow students need.

Over Thanksgiving break, a group of these students and some staff members decorated the whole school with Christmas lights to “outshine all the negativity.”

Therapy dogs greet students as they return from break. Photo by Jessica Rehberg

Rehberg said that safety, emotional stability and the peace of mind of the students are the priorities of the school and the school system.

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